Wrecking-frog



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. C. BOURDBTTB.

WRBCKING PROG.

N0.-522,874. Patented July 10, 1894.

'www aawizeffe. #5J

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2. W. C. BOURDETTE. WREGKING PROG.

Patented `July 10, 1894..

UNTED STATES `PAnti-21tr OFFICE;

WILLIS C. BOUItDETTE, OF GUNNISON, COLORADO.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 522,874, dated July 10, 1894. Application filed February 5, 1894:. Serial No. 499,131. (No model.)

i a citizen of the United States, residing at Gu nnison, in the county of Gunnison and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wrecking-Frogs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of wrecking frogs, wherein a base frame adapted to rest on a cross-tie and extend under andl engage a main line rail, is provided with 'a rotatable shoe having standards or arms to engage a car-replacing rail section, as in the Letters Patent No. 491,005, issued to me Jan- `uary 31, 1393.

The object of my present inventionis to provide such a construction `that the'base frame engages over the tread or ball of the main track rail instead of passing under the` base flange thereof, whereby the` practical use of the frog is greatly facilitated and it is rendered stronger and more durable, while the weight or load is more substantially and effectually sustained.

The invention also has for its object to render the pivoted shoe susceptible of sliding longitudinally on the base frame for adjusting the shoe onto a cross-tie instead of adjusting the entire frog to place the shoe over the cross-tie.

. The invention also has forits object topro-` vide the shoe base with novel, simple, and efficiet means, whereby it may be firmly engaged with the` cross-tie, and be prevented from shiftingor moving in any direction while the base frame is held and braced up against the main track-rail, and the pivoted shoe section can be rotated to meet the conditions required for properly setting the car-replacing rail section.

To accomplish all these objects my invention consists inthe features of construction and the combination or arrangement of devices hereinafter described and'claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lf'is a perspective view illustrating a pair of myimproved wrecking frogs applied to the main track rails for replacing a derailed car or engine. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the base frame and shoe designed for use at the inside of the main track rails. Fig.

3 is a similar view showing the base frame and shoedesigned for use at the outside of the opposite main track rail. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view, showing a different manner of using a car-replacing rail section outside of the main track rail; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5`5 Fig. 4.

In order toenable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention', I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates the base frame designed for use at the inside'of one of the main track rails; and 2 indicates the base frame designed for use at the outside of the opposite main track rail.

t The base frame l is composed of a strong metallic bar which is fiat and rectilinear, and

`is provided at each end portion with a hook 3 rigidly secured to the bar in any suitable manner, and so arranged that while the bar is supported by a cross-tie the hooks 3 will engage over and rest upon the treads or balls ofone of the main track rails. The hooks 3 rise to the proper elevation above the rectilinear tlattened bar, and they may be attached to this bar by welding, or by rivets, bolts, or`

desired to rest the shoe base. Thelower side of the slice-base or sleeve is provided with spurs 6 for engaging the cross-tie, and thus effectually 'preventing the shoe-base from shifting: or moving in any direction. The

`outer end portion of the sleeve or shoe-base 'is formed with a downwardly projecting sharpened flange 7, adapted to be engaged with the cross-tie for the purpose of holding and bracing the base-frame 1 up against the main track rail, and thus hold the latter horizontal in close proximity, or contiguous to the notbeing in the exact position where it is ICO base fiange of the track rail. The other section, 8, which constitutes the shoe proper, is pivoted at or near its center to the upper side of the shoe-base or sleeve 4 through the medium of a suitable pivot pin 9; and this upper section or shoe proper is provided with an upwardly projecting flange 10, and an upwardly projecting flange 12 rising above the fiange 10 and formed at its top portion with an overhanging hook 13, the construction being such that a short railsection, as at 14, can be applied to the shoe section 8 by turning the rail upon its side and causing the base flange to engage the hook 13 while the tread or ball of the rail rests against the ange 10, as will be clearly understood by reference to Fig. 1.

The base-frame 1, with its attachments, is designed to be used at the inside of a main track rail; but the base-frame 2 is adapted for use at the outside of the opposite main track rail, for the purpose of replacing a derailed car or engine.

The base-frame 2 is provided at each end portion with a hook 15, in all substantial respects the same as described with reference to the base-frame 1.

The shoe-base or sleeve 16 for the frame 2 is provided with spurs 17, and a sharpened ange 18, the same as the shoe base or sleeve 4, but the upper shoe section 19 is of a slightly different form from the upper shoe section 8, as I will now explain. The upper shoe section 19 is pivoted at or near its center to the upper side of the shoe-base or sleeve 16 through the medium of a suitable pivot-pin 20, and it is provided witha pair of upwardly vprojecting arms 21 converging toward each other as they rise, and cut-away at each edge portion, as at 22, so that the arms are substantially T-shaped.

The car-replacing rail-section 23 is adapted to b e inserted into the shoe-section 19, so that the said rail section will stand right side up, that is, the base flange of the rail will rest upon the base of the pivoted shoe section 19 and the arms 21 will lie at opposite sides of the web of the rail.

In the practical use of the Wrecking frogs, the base-frame 1 is arranged inside of one of the main track rails, and the hooks 3 are engaged over the tread or ball thereof, and the base frame 2 is arranged outside of the opposite main track rail with its hooks 15 engaged over the tread or ball of the same. The carreplacing rail sections 14 and 23 are then applied in the manner before explained, and the proper angle of these rail sections, relative to the main track rails is secured by properly shifting the rail sections, which is permitted by the pivoted shoe sections S and 19. In applying the base frames 1 and 2 to the main track rails, the shoes, as a whole, can be bodily shifted longitudinally along the flattened bars constituting the base frames, for the purpose of adjusting the shoes onto the crossties to meet the conditions required in the practical use of the devices. The wheels of the car or engine can then be caused to ascend the inclined rail sections and pass onto the main track rails in substantially the same manner as in my Letters Patent hereinbefore alluded to.

The arms 2l of the upper shoe section 19 may be of any suitable construction; but I prefer the T-shaped form illustrated, in that this enables me to use a car-replacing rail section in the manner exhibited by Figs. 4 and 5. According to this method of using the car-replacing rail section the shoe section 19 is rotated until the notches 22 in'one edge of the arms 2l lie directly opposite the main track-grail, and then the car-replacing rail section is introduced by turning it upside down and inserting the tread or ball of the rail into the notches 22, so that the tread or ball of such rail section lies between the arms 21, and the web of the main track rail, whereby the base flange of the rail section overhangs, or extends over the main track rail, as Will be clearly understood by reference to Figs. 4 and 5, thus enabling a car or engine to be replaced on the track when the car or engine wheels are quite near to or against the main track rails. It will, therefore, be observed that the peculiar construction of the upper shoe section 19 enables me to employ the carreplacing railv section in two different positions, by which means the wrecking frogs can be properly adjusted to meetthe varying conditions likely to be encountered. When the car-replacing section is applied in the manner illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, such rail section can lie approximately parallel with the main track rail, but the base flange of the rail section lies at an angle, so that the flange of a wheel will roll over it onto the inside of the tread or ball of the main track rail, which is very useful where the wheels are just olf the main line, as before stated.

By the construction described and shown, the base frame hooks over the tread of the main track rail instead of passing under the base flange of the same, and therefore the load is more effectually sustained, and the application of the device is rendered more convenient. The sliding of the pivoted shoes along the base frames is a very desirable feature, in that the adjustment of the shoes to the cross-ties is materially facilitated, and then the shoe bases can be firmly fixed to the crossties by driving or forcing the spurs and flanges thereinto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination witha base frame having suitable means to engage a track rail, of a vshoe slidable longitudinally on the base frame and constructed to engage and hold a car-replacing rail section, substantially-as described.

2. In a Wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base frame having suitable means to engage a track-rail, of a shoe TOO IlO

composed of a shoe-base slidable longitudinally on the base frame, and a shoe-section pivoted to the said shoe-base, and having means to engage and hold a car-replacing rail section, substantially as described.

3. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base-frame composed of a bar having hooks at its ends to engage over the tread of a main track-rail, of a shoe composed of a shoe-base slidable longitudinally along said bar, and a shoe-section pivoted to said shoe-base and constructed to engage and hold a car-replacin g rail section, substantially as described.

4. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base-frame having suitable means to engage a track-rail, of a shoe` slidable along the base frame, and provided with spurs to engage a cross-tie, and flanges to engage a car-replacin g rail section,snbstan tially as described.

5. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base-frame composed of a bar having hooks to engage the tread of a main track, rail, of a shoe composed of a shoebase slidable longitudinally on the said bar and having spurs to engage a cross-tie, and a shoe section pivoted to said shoebase and having means to engage and hold a car-replacing rail section, substantially as described.

G. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base frame having suitable means to engage a track rail, of a shoe adjustable on the base-frame and provided with projecting spurs, and a sharpened ange for holding the shoe in a fixed position on a cross-tie and bracing the base-frame against the main tracklrail, substantially as described.

V7. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base-frame having suitable means to engage a track-rail, of a shoe having upwardly projecting arms provided at their edges with recesses 22, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a wrecking frog or car-replacer, the combination with a base-frame having suitable means to engage a track rail, of a shoe `composed of a shoe base slidable on the base WILLIS o. BOURDETTE. [1.. s]

Witnesses: A

C. R. BOURDETTE, E. E. MUELLER. 

